Kolkata : The Kolkata Police has granted permission for Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s proposed rally in Central Kolkata on March 1 after days of dilly-dallying. On February 20, the BJP had submitted a letter to the Kolkata Police seeking permission for the rally at Shahid Minar Ground.

BJP state general secretary Rathindra Bose told reporters Tuesday, “We have received the permission on Monday for the proposed rally. Now, we will go ahead with our plan as per schedule.”

Shah is scheduled to address the rally on March 1 where state BJP leaders will felicitate him for the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the Parliament. This will be Shah’s second visit to West Bengal after assuming the office of the Union home minister. He had addressed a seminar on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 at Netaji Indoor Stadium on October 1 last year.

Reacting to the development, senior TMC leader and Bengal Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Tapas Ray, said the BJP was “deliberately trying to make an issue out of a non-issue”. “They had applied (for the permission) on Thursday and expected that it would be given by Friday morning. This is absurd,” he said.